Word of the Day — December 12, 2012

Euphemism — YOU-feh-MISS-um — a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt, especially when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

Example: "George Orwell (according to Paul Begala in Newsweek) responded to political speech which he said was 'largely the defense of the indefensible,' then adding that 'It is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable,' to which Begala responded, 'Orwell was reacting to the desperate euphemisms employed by members of the British intelligentsia in his day; sadly, it is still true in America today.'"